Bicchi, Federica 
ORCID: 0000-0003-0897-489X
(2002)
Actors and factors in European foreign policy making: insights from the Mediterranean case.
RSCAS working papers (2002/47).
European University Institute, Badia Fiesolana.
Abstract
This paper analyses the formulation of the two main European foreign policy initiatives towards the Mediterranean, in the early 1970s and in the early 1990s. It examines the actors (t he policy entrepreneurs) and structural conditions (the policy windows) that facilitate the adoption of a common initiative. It suggests that the most effective policy entrepreneurship have been provided by a single member state, motivated by a recent reorientation of its national foreign policy. In the early 1970s, the policy entrepreneur in question was France, while in the early 1990s it was Spain. The policy window that made their action possible and likely is represented by a worsening of European perceptions of challenges originating from the Mediterranean. What matters most is the understanding by policy-makers and public opinion of Mediterranean affairs, rather than effective material changes occurring in the region. The worsening security perceptions lead member states’ governments to discuss how to interpret the phenomena and how to respond to it. The activity of the policy entrepreneur feeds the debate and stimulates the definition of a common European interest in the Mediterranean, until a decision is taken.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Working Paper) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/812 |
| Additional Information: | © 2002 The Author |
| Divisions: | International Relations |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JZ International relations |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Mar 2013 16:36 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Dec 2024 18:33 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/49473 |
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